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  Daisy positioned the short veil on her new hat. Her mouth twitched at the tiny peacock feather amongst the small cluster of silk flowers. “When Lois told me she’d added a bit of embellishment to my headpiece, I was skeptical. I’m glad I let her have her way with the design. This is definitely a plume I can live with.”

  “Mike’s father was the one to suggest it. He has a collection of what everyone jokes are his lucky feathers.” Memphis slipped a lace handkerchief stitched with tiny flowers in Daisy’s hand. “This will be your something blue and borrowed. I carried it at my wedding and so did both of Mike’s sisters.”

  Mrs. Montgomery handed Daisy a bouquet of dried lavender and baby’s breath tied with an ivory ribbon. “Yes, and you know what they say, ‘Mondays are for wealth and Tuesdays for health. Wednesday the best day of all.’ So even the day of the week is perfect.”

  A knock sounded. Memphis opened the door to a smiling Mr. Montgomery. The sound of a violin played softly in the background. “Unless the bride has changed her mind, everyone is ready.”

  Memphis entered the church first, wearing a new silk dress in a soft blue. The morning sun cast a warm glow onto the white clapboard walls of the small church. Marigold and her friend, Betsy, dressed in matching pink dresses, stepped forward. Marigold cast Daisy a quick look over her shoulder before joining her friend to scatter rose petals.

  Daisy felt her breath hitch when the violin played by Lois’s husband, Daniel, changed to the bridal march. She was grateful for the strong arm of Mr. Montgomery escorting her. Her heart flip-flopped. David was handsome in a dark suit and a navy-patterned vest, stylish hair and a perfectly trimmed mustache.

  Why did I ever find that unattractive?

  The pastor’s welcome to the congregation interrupted her thoughts. Pastor Nelson held out his arms. “We are gathered today in the sight of God and in the presence of this fine company to witness the union of David Oliver Taylor and Daisy Leah Murphy in Christian marriage. May our Heavenly Father look down upon this event with His smile of approval. May the Lord Jesus Christ be present and add His blessing. May the Holy Spirit attend and seal these vows in love.

  “The making of a good marriage involves seeking divine guidance. David’s and Daisy’s pledge to each other began months ago when they sought the will of God for their union. This morning they commit themselves publicly in front of this church body.”

  Daisy caught David’s gaze and was comforted by his quick smile.

  The pastor continued. “From the story of Isaac and Rebekah, we learn a lot about the ingredients for a good marriage. What we don’t often highlight is what didn’t go so well with their union. If you don’t hear anything else I say this morning, listen to this.” The corner of the pastor’s eyes crinkled. “Talk to one another.”

  The pastor chuckled and the congregation joined in. “Men often become preoccupied and quiet. Whatever the cause, remember verbal communication is especially important to your wife. Equally important, love her enough to listen.”

  Pastor Nelson’s eyes scanned the congregation. “I see some of you ladies elbowing your husbands.” He grinned. “One quick reminder to you. Don’t jump to conclusions and no nagging.”

  The congregation laughed again. Daisy’s mouth twitched and she cut a glance toward the crowd’s beaming faces. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson sat with their recently combined families to fill one row. Mrs. Montgomery sat on the front bench with Henry, Marigold, and Betsy. Her sons, Moses, Matthew, Malachi, John-Mark, and his wife, Carol, sat with their sister, Maggie and her husband, Dr. Benton. Lois sat with her husband and brother, Deputy Scott, the sheriff, and his wife. Each row was filled with townspeople who had taken time to be there this morning to wish them well.

  “Who then presents Daisy to be married to David?” Pastor Nelson opened his Bible.

  “I do.” Michael Montgomery put her hand in David’s.

  Daisy matched David’s grin with a watery smile.

  “The Lord knows that not one of us is complete in ourselves. He has been sanctioning marriages since Adam and Eve.” The pastor continued, “As a symbol of your union, will you now join hands? David, in taking Daisy to be your wife, I require you to promise to love and cherish her, to honor and sustain her, in sickness as in health, in poverty as in wealth, in the bad that may darken your days, in the good that may brighten your ways, and to be true to her until death alone shall part you. Do you promise?”

  David’s deep, rich voice answered, “I do.” He squeezed Daisy’s hand.

  “Daisy, do you promise?”

  “I do,” she answered.

  Pastor Nelson continued. “Now, you may seal your promise to each other by giving and receiving the rings. David, place the ring on Daisy’s finger and repeat after me: I, David, take you, Daisy, to be my wedded wife—To have and to hold from this day forward. For better, for worse. For richer, for poorer. In sickness and in health. To love and cherish ‘til death do us part, according to God’s holy ordinance. And with this ring, I pledge you my love.”

  David took the ring from his best man, Mike, and slipped a gold band on her finger.

  Daisy stared into his blue eyes.

  The pastor inclined his head toward Memphis, who was reaching for her bouquet.

  “Daisy, are you ready?”

  She nodded, exchanging the flowers and removing David’s ring from Memphis’s thumb.

  The pastor continued. “Repeat after me. I, Daisy, take you, David, to be my wedded husband—To have and to hold from this day forward. For better, for worse. For richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health. To love and cherish ‘til death do us part, according to God’s holy ordinance. And with this ring, I pledge you my love.”

  Daisy slipped the gold band on David’s finger and was comforted by the familiar feel of his calloused hands. She thought her heart would burst when he brought her fingers to his lips.

  The pastor continued. “David and Daisy, in these moments, I have heard you pledge your love and faith to each other. Your friends and family members assembled here have heard you seal your solemn vows of marriage by giving and receiving the rings. Now it is my joy and personal privilege to declare you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

  Amongst applause and laughter, David pulled her close and kissed her properly.

  Pastor Nelson pivoted. “Friends and family of the bride and groom, the family would like you to join them in celebrating at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery for cake and refreshments.” He grinned. “Even if this isn’t the first time you’ve done so, please join me in congratulating Mr. and Mrs. David Oliver Taylor.”

  The pastor rested his hand on David’s shoulder and lowered his voice. “Not sure how you’ll handle remembering your anniversary in the years to come.” He nodded toward Daisy. “Then again, there’s nothing wrong with celebrating twice.”

  They left the church to music, applause, and smiling faces. David paused in front of the church and lifted Daisy’s chin. “To borrow a quote from your favorite author, ‘I would not wish any companion in the world but you.’ I love you, sweetheart.”

  If you enjoyed this book, please help other readers find it by leaving a review on Amazon and Goodreads. Just a few words will make all the difference.

  Other Books by Kimberly Grist

  ~o0o~

  Rebecca's Hope

  Raised by her guardian and influenced by the mostly male population of Carrie Town, Texas, Rebecca benefited from a forward-thinking, unorthodox education not typical for a young woman in the late Nineteenth century.

  As an adult, she is armed with skills that most would covet, yet she lives in a boarding house, works as a waitress and struggles financially. Most single women in the area didn’t stay single long. Most, but not her. The one man she had said yes to was dragging his feet. The townspeople all agree she needs a husband. Even the young girls in her Sunday School Class have taken action by writing an ad for the paper.

  Wanted: Husband for Rebecca Mueller. **Must be
handsome, nice, like children, and live within walking distance of Carrie Town School.

  Will her circumstances change and allow her to hold out for true love?

  ~o0o~

  Emma's Dream

  In my first novel Rebecca's Hope, I introduced a western town in the late 19th century filled with colorful characters and innovative young women. Emma's Dream is a continuation of the tale based on Rebecca's best friend. While other young women in the late nineteenth century are reading about proper housekeeping, Emma studies herd improvement and her cooking skills leave a lot to be desired.

  Our story begins several months before Rebecca's wedding. Circumstances require Emma to take on the household chores, which include taking care of her six-year-old twin cousins. Like a double-edged sword, help arrives in the form of Grandma Tennessee who manages a household with ease but whose colorful stories, old wives’ tales and superstitions flow like a river.

  As I researched pioneer life in the late 19th century, I found that superstitions were widely practiced as immigrants migrated and cultures blended. One of my goals as I wrote was to give an accurate account of the period while exposing the inaccuracy of the quotes and beliefs in a humorous way. Hence the birth of the delightful character, Grandma Tennessee.

  Emma's Dream is a story of love that's tested by distance and has the perfect combination of history, humor, and romance with an emphasis on faith, friends and good clean fun!

  ~o0o~

  Lois's Risk

  Lois Weaver has been schooled to be polite, lady-like, honest, to clean, cook and sew, so that at the proper age, she would marry. As an adult, she surpassed her father’s expectations with her skills and beauty only to shatter them when she opens a dress shop. She risked everything to start her own business.

  Now the handsome bank owner has come calling. So why isn’t she happy? And why can’t she forget about a certain farmer with big brown eyes? Daniel Lawrence, former Texas Ranger, gained immense satisfaction when he purchased his farm and livestock. His new way of life is not only a means to make a living but adds a sense of fulfillment. The only thing lacking is a wife and family.

  He is just shy of proposing when a family tragedy forces him to open his home to his grieving sister and his niece. How could he bring a new wife home to this? Lois is heartbroken because Daniel is ignoring her. Can she go against the 19th-century rules of how a woman should behave and have the courage to tell Daniel how she feels?

  Combining history, humor, and romance with an emphasis on faith, friends, and good clean fun, fans of historical romance set in late 19th-century will enjoy Lois’s Risk, a delightful tale of courage and reminds us how God uses adversity to strengthen us and draw us closer to Him.

  ~o0o~

  Maggie’s Strength

  Twenty-year-old Maggie Montgomery is a petite young woman ahead of her time. She's had a wonderful childhood and enjoyed spending time with her father and five brothers and is happiest working in the smithy with them. A competent cook and housekeeper, as a favor to the local doctor, she moves in to assist his wife, who is struggling to recuperate from a bout of pneumonia.

  A tomboy at heart, she ignores her mother's pleas to dress more appropriately, until the son returns. A recent graduate of medical school, although handsome, the young doctor is stoic and obviously put out that his father has hired her to help his mother recuperate. Sparks fly and suddenly for the first time Maggie is concerned more about how she is perceived by others, especially the young doctor? The question is, why? Can they get past their first impressions?

  Maggie draws on unrelenting strength where iron sharpens iron—forging an unexpected result of the romantic kind.

  ~o0o~

  Carol’s Choice

  After the deaths of her mother and stepfather, twenty-year-old Carol Stone finds herself in reduced circumstances with two younger siblings to care for. The suggested marriage of convenience is out of the question, so she stalls for time. When Carol learns she is the sole heir of a small home in Carrie Town, a newly expanded railroad village, she throws caution to the Texas wind and packs her bags.

  Though warned of the extreme change in lifestyle, she's shocked at the smallness of the Sunday House. And why didn't she think to ask about indoor plumbing?

  Leaving her lifestyle of shopping, lavish parties and holiday endeavors for a simpler life is a temporary solution until she can make a match of her own design. Carol struggles to let go of the past, embrace the present, and hope for a better future. What she doesn’t bargain for is the handsome livery-stable owner, who understands the true meaning of family and Christmas. Will love conquer lavish?

  ~o0o~

  Garnet's Gift

  Twenty-two-year-old Garnet Adams longs to marry and have a houseful of children. Forced to support her widowed mother, she embraces her role as a teacher, although the Carrie Town board of education's rules for female teachers leave no opportunity for a social life. She contents herself playing the violin at church.

  Tall, bearded, and rough around the edges, Deputy Noah Scott would rather hunt than socialize. Garnet thinks he’s a rude, insensitive drifter, and Noah's sure the last person he'd want to court is a schoolmarm--especially with her unladylike sneeze. As the needs of her students bring them together, opposites seem to attract until a certain Christmas present derails their future.

  ~o0o~

  A Promised Land

  Twenty-year-old Meriwether Walker enjoys the challenge of teaching her varied group of students in the one-room schoolhouse. What she doesn't like is the nomadic lifestyle that comes with it as she rotates boarding with families in the community on a month to month basis. Meriwether longs for a home of her own, but since single female teachers have to follow so many rules, she doesn't see any end to her plight--until the letter from the attorney handling her uncle's estate arrives.

  When Meriwether discovers her uncle left her his ranch, the one she loved to visit when she was a child, she quit her job and moved without hesitation to Trickling Springs, Texas to take over her property. But when she arrives, deed in hand, she discovers her decision has put her at odds with Jake Harrison, the man who rents property from her uncle and seeks to buy the land and water rights for his cattle. They butt heads, tempers flare, but Meriwether stands her ground. Yet she can't deny the romantic sparks that fly, and she can tell it's mutual. When he comes courting, can she trust Jake Harrison, or is his real attraction the property and the water rights he needs, and she has inherited?

  ~o0o~

  Memphis Rose Griffin loves teaching at Counting Stars Children's Home. The girls and staff are like family, and working here ties her to her mother, whose last wish was for Memphis to take her place as teacher. But something's missing. Now at the age of twenty-eight, her teenage dream of having her own family has all but faded.

  Until her pastor and the orphanage founder come with a proposal that will change her life forever. Should she become their first candidate for their new matchmaking venture? Though grim, at least her life at the orphanage is familiar and certain. Can she risk an unknown future with a man she's never met?

  The last thing thirty-three-year-old Mike Montgomery wants is to marry again, especially to someone he's never met. His family has other plans for him and completes the application without his permission--even changing some of his preferences to make him seem more intriguing. Can two star-crossed candidates dare to dream again?

  ~o0o~

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  Kimberly Grist, A Bride for David